Friday, December 16, 2022

President shares an end-of-year message

A message from Vivek Goel, President and Vice-Chancellor.

As the days get shorter and we welcome the changing of the season, this time of the year is an opportunity to pause and reflect. 

Reflecting on the past year, I am grateful for many things and many people—including every one of you in our community. Thank you for all your contributions through another challenging year. Your hard work and the diverse perspectives and knowledge each of you bring to our campuses every day make our community stronger.  

Many of us are observing various holidays and customs this month and over the break. I enjoyed learning more about the significance of the Winter Solstice for certain Indigenous cultures. I would like to thank Savanah Seaton from the Waterloo Indigenous Student Centre (WISC) at United College for taking the time to share this knowledge with me. 

The experience also reminded me of the importance of embracing and sharing traditional knowledge. Taking the time to slow down, connect to the land and spend time with loved ones is a timely message for us all. 

However you spend the winter break, I hope you are able to connect with the people, places and traditions you hold dear, and that you take the time to rest and rejuvenate. 

Wishing you a happy, safe and restful break. And we’ll see you again when the days get brighter.

Waterloo team visits Zimbabwe and East Africa

By Tracelyn Cornelius. This article was originally published on Waterloo News.

A team from the University of Waterloo recently completed a visit to Zimbabwe and East Africa with the goal of establishing local connections and helping to showcase the University’s distinguished scholarship, teaching excellence and ground-breaking research and innovation.

Leading this team was Dr. Christopher S. Taylor, associate vice-president, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Anti-racism (EDI-RO), who was accompanied by Akua Amin-Asare, international recruitment specialist and Karuna Ausman, international marketing and recruitment specialist in the Registrar’s Office.

The group joined several other Canadian educational institutions as part of a roadshow, organized by the Vancouver based Illume Student Advisory Services Ltd. They visited several educational institutions in Zimbabwe, Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, Rwanda and Mauritius, where they engaged with prospective students and their parents, as well as representatives from the schools.

The AVP, EDI-RO, who is also an assistant professor of History, said that many of the groups which he connected with expressed surprise at seeing a member of a marginalized group in a leadership position at a large Canadian university.

“The reception our team received was outstanding,” he said. “Many remarked that it was exhilarating to see someone who looked like them, someone who understood firsthand the unique challenges that they would face as international students in Canada, and someone with the capacity to advocate for proper supports to be available to help them thrive after they are admitted.”

Dr. Taylor said Africa can be a challenging territory for admissions teams to navigate. A lack of financial resources may limit widespread student mobility from African countries relative to other regions, however, he believes that the continent’s growing youth population, up-and-coming economy and hunger for innovative entrepreneurial education make it a promising recruitment market for Waterloo.

"In the entrepreneurial space, African nations are in the midst of a sort of innovation renaissance,” he said. “The continent has one of the youngest populations in the world, a rapidly growing economy and a healthy ecosystem of tech start-ups. Since one of Waterloo’s impact themes is developing talent for a complex future, it makes sense to cater to the huge demand for innovative education and research.”

Dr. Taylor recognizes and celebrates existing recruitment efforts being made in the African continent and looks to forward to working collaboratively with senior administrators to further develop welcoming communities for students, faculty and alums from Africa. 

Dr. Taylor also looks forward to facilitating pathways for further collaboration between educators and scholars to learn from the growing entrepreneurial eco-system in Africa and to assist in developing it. He hopes to work with both the Registrar’s office and Waterloo International to embark on a West African tour in the upcoming year.

Read more about anti-racism work on campus

Our anti-racism newsletter, The Catalyst, showcases the many staff, faculty and students who are engaged in anti-racism work each day on campus. Subscribe to receive each issue directly to your inbox.

Waterloo Centre for German Studies announces 2021 book prize winner

A message from the Waterloo Centre for German Studies.

The Ambivalence of Gay Liberation: Male Homosexual Politics in 1970s West Germany (Oxford University Press) by Craig Griffiths has been awarded the Waterloo Centre for German Studies Book Prize for first books published in 2021. 

In selecting The Ambivalence of Gay Liberation as the winner, jurors called it a book that “is sure to influence scholarly work in its field and in wider historical study of modern German society.” It’s an exceptionally well written study, impressively clear yet nuanced, and its use of diverse and sometimes surprising resources demonstrates deep knowledge of the topic. The book is destined to become a benchmark for others trying to understand the cultural and political phenomenon that is gay liberation. 

The Waterloo Centre for German Studies, a research institute at the University of Waterloo, promotes scholarly inquiry into all aspects of the German-speaking world. As part of this mandate, the WCGS takes great pride in sponsoring an award that celebrates the dynamic and engaging scholarship occurring in all fields of German Studies. The prize is adjudicated by a jury of German studies scholars chaired by James M. Skidmore, Director of the Waterloo Centre for German Studies. Members of the jury were Monica Black (University of Tennessee-Knoxville), Barbara Schmenk (University of Waterloo), Kathryn Starkey (Stanford University), and Joachim Whaley (University of Cambridge). 

 The prize consists of a cash award of CAD $3,000 and an invitation to speak at the 2023 conference of German Studies Canada, the association of German studies scholars in Canada.  

 For more information, please contact wcgs@uwaterloo.ca or visit our website.   

CEL launches TA training for facilitating online courses

A message from the Centre for Extended Learning (CEL).

The Centre for Extended Learning (CEL) is hosting an online certificate course entitled Getting Ready to Facilitate Online Courses: TA Training – Winter 2023, which will run from February 6 to March 10 (no activities scheduled between February 20 to 24).

"This 4-week, online certificate course is suitable for any current or future teaching assistant (TA) wishing to build skills and knowledge of best practices in facilitating fully online courses," says the course description. "While this course has been specifically designed for a TA or preceptor, the insight into online course facilitation and skills developed will build proficiency at all levels up to the instructor role. You will discover how to successfully contribute to the facilitation of an online course, foster student engagement, support student outcomes, and build a sense of community using various forms of interaction. Participants will also learn how to use LEARN LMS tools to create presence and connection, assess student learning and work effectively in their TA/Preceptor role."  

Note: The format of the course is asynchronous (no live virtual sessions), however, participants are required to engage with the course content, interact with other participants, and complete activities each week by the scheduled deadlines. Participants should expect to spend about 4 hours per week on the course.

Register on GoSignMeUp. Course registration closes on Monday, January 30.

Writing and Communication Centre announces programs and services for 2023

A message from the Writing and Communication Centre.

As the winter term kicks off, the Writing and Communication Centre would like to remind all graduate and undergraduate students about our free services and programs.

Drop-ins at The Write Spot

Available on the second floor of the South Campus Hall (SCH) building in room 219, The Write Spot is aimed at providing students with meeting areas and workspaces, free coffee and lounge seating, as well as with on-the-spot writing support. 

This area will be available for student drop-ins starting on Monday, January 16, 2023. Room 219 will be available throughout the winter 2023 term up until April 28, 2023. We will open around 8:30 a.m. each morning and close at roughly 4:30 p.m. in the afternoon.

Drop-ins at the new WCC Space! | Writing and Communication Centre (uwaterloo.ca)

Drop-ins at the Dana Porter Library

English Conversation Circles

ECC provides a safe space for undergraduate and graduate English Language Learners (ELL) to practice conversational English with friendly staff and students. This program offers students a place to make new friends and reconnect with old ones. Registration will open on Wednesday, January 4th at noon.

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